An Indianapolis Department of Public Works spokesman said the 100-year-old historic bridge is in worse condition than expected.
INDIANAPOLIS — Busy West Washington Street remains closed in Indianapolis, and is expected to stay that way through next summer.
Even though the road is closed, nearby businesses are still trying to stay open.
“Not having traffic here has affected us,” said Ricardo Lopez, manager of 4 Friends Auto Sales. “You can compare it to previous years, and we’ve never sold this few vehicles.”
Since 2010, Lopez said his business has relied on car and pedestrian traffic along Washington Street, which is a main thoroughfare into downtown Indianapolis.
However, now his commission-based employees are not making much money.
“If it continues like this, they will want to work somewhere else,” Lopez said.
It was the same story across the street at Joe’s Auto Sales. On a Wednesday afternoon, there were no customers parked out front.
With so many questions and no answers, Joe’s co-owners Matt Krier and Theresa Krier Fleck decided to take action. They created an online petition to the city.
“This is not just a minor issue,” Fleck said. “This is a real safety issue, and it’s really hurting the local businesses in the neighborhood.”
“This affects all of us,” Lopez said. “It’s not just one business. It’s families that are trying to get something out of this to support their families. With this shutdown, we’re not going anywhere.”
The petition is just four paragraphs long. It calls for “immediate action,” reading in part, “We urge the city to prioritize and expedite the completion of the Washington Street Bridge project.”
“All the employees here have signed it,” Lopez said.
Staff at Temple Rents have also signed the petition. The edge of construction is right on their property line.
“There’s no one here to do any work, even demo work at this point, it’s really frustrating,” one employee said.
An Indianapolis Department of Public Works spokesman said the 100-year-old historic bridge is in worse condition than expected.
Now, the department says crews will need to take time to meet certain regulations in the coming months.
However, 13News has asked for more details about the project’s goals and timeline. As of Wednesday afternoon, we had not received a response.
“We want to know why,” Fleck said, “and we want them to prioritize rebuilding the bridge.”
“Transparency,” Temple Rents staff said, “and better communication with businesses in this corridor.”
“We want this to be over as soon as possible,” Lopez said.
Indy DPW says West Washington Street is expected to reopen in the summer of 2025.
